Open Harvest Board of Directors Response to the Recent Petition January 11, 2011

On January 3, 2011 at the monthly Open Harvest Board of Directors meeting a petition ("Open Harvest Talking Points") that listed five demands was presented to the Board by Open Harvest members and guests. Several Open Harvest members, guests, and staff were also given the opportunity to speak further about the issues raised in the petition. On January 10, the Board of Directors met in Executive Session to discuss these issues and to prepare a formal response to the petition. The item-by-item response is outlined below.

1 - Reinstatement of employment for Mr. Andrew Losh. The Board was aware that Mr. Losh had presented a letter to the new General Manager (GM) on January 7, 2011 requesting reinstatement. The Board considered that this letter constituted a grievance, according to the existing grievance procedure. The Board anticipates that the GM will be addressing this grievance soon and will wait until the GM (who assumed this position only in the past 10 days) has made a decision before considering this matter further.

2 - Overhaul of the grievance procedure. The Board noted that grievance procedure is developed and implemented by the GM. The Board further noted that the L2 policy report (regarding Staff Treatment, including monitoring of the grievance procedures) was found to be non-compliant at the January 3, 2011 board meeting. Accordingly, the Board decision to consider the L2 report as non-compliant requires that the GM review and revise the existing grievance procedures and then report back to the Board at the next Board meeting scheduled for February 7, 2011.

3 - Board positions be made available to employees. The current by-laws state that Open Harvest staff members are not eligible to serve on the Board. The Board has formed a committee, called the Board Membership Eligibility Committee that will review this policy and make recommendations to the Board as to whether or not this by-law should be revised. All Open Harvest members are eligible to serve on this committee. The Board will inform the Outreach and Membership Director, Jackie Barnhardt, that this committee has been formed and that individuals interested in serving on this committee should contact the Board Chair, Carla McCullough (harvest@openharvest.coop).

4 - A living wage for all employees, AND 5 - More hours be made available to employees, especially those who want full time benefits. How the staff is treated and compensated are very important issues to the Board. The GM is in charge of the store, including store personnel, but operates within the limitations of policy set by the Board. Currently there are no policies that specifically address either of these two issues. The Board Chair has instructed two standing committees, the Policy Committee and the Finance Committee to begin reviewing these issues and to report back to the Board with recommendations.

The Board is grateful to Open Harvest members and guests for bringing these issues to our attention. Open Harvest is guided according to Co-op Principles that include a commitment to an open, democratic process. As stated at the January 3 meeting, the Board also operates under Policy Governance, a management structure that establishes a method for the board to oversee the work of the Open Harvest without getting in the GM's way. Policy Governance sets policies and holds the GM accountable for these policies. Policy Governance also establishes the policies by which the Board operates. When issues such as those listed in the petition are presented to the Board, the Board reviews the current policies and determines whether or not those policies adequately address those concerns or need revision. Much of the Board work is done by committees that meet regularly and perform the necessary research and then report back to the entire Board with their recommendations. Issues such as the living wage and staff eligibility on the board are ones that will require research and deliberation.

The Board is a group of dedicated volunteers that devote much time and energy for the good of our co-op. The Board will need time to meet, research, deliberate and responsibly respond to these serious issues. As noted above, Open Harvest members are eligible to serve on most of the Board committees. All members are also welcome to attend the monthly Board of Directors meetings; the meeting agenda always has time dedicated for member comments.